7 Strategies to Divorce-Proof Your Marriage

Feeling disconnected and neglected is the stuff that tears couples apart. Luckily, by doing these concrete things right now, you can bring more respect, appreciation, and compassion into your relationship — and in turn prevent harm to your marriage.

Set boundaries for cheating

Set boundaries for cheating

There are three different types of cheating: physical, emotional, and digital. With digital, it's especially unclear what counts as cheating. Is it okay to friend an ex on Facebook? Or to stream porn videos? Have a five-minute conversation about what each of you views as infidelity. "It's likely that one of you will cheat without knowing it if you don't have this talk," says Laurie Puhn, a couples mediator and author of Fight Less, Love More: 5-Minute Conversations to Change Your Relationship without Blowing Up or Giving In. You may think talking to a guy friend about your relationship is perfectly innocent while your husband sees it as betrayal, so it's important to set clear boundaries before anything happens.

Recognize that your relationship is fragile

Recognize that your relationship is fragile

"If you're not actively recognizing your mate when he walks through the door by greeting him and instead keep talking on the phone or typing away, you're sending the message that his presence means nothing to you," says Puhn. It falls on you to make your marriage a great place to be by choosing the right words and actions every day, or else, you can quickly go from "I do" to "I'm done." The goal is to display certain values — respect, appreciation, intimacy, compassion and cooperation — on a daily basis to keep love alive.